Flushing-valve



A. A. CARSON. FLUSHING VALVE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, I915.

Patented Jan. 27, 1920.

x5 M b\ 7 QR @Q imit an E TEW m & WM R WI m A A/ ALEXANDER A. CAR-SON, OF BRAINTREE, MASSACHUSETTS.

rLUsnIne-vALvn.

Application filed June 29, 1915.

dent of Braintrec. in the county of Norfolk 5 and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flushing-Valves, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to tank valves which may be operated to supply water from a tank to a water closet for flushing the same.

The object of the invention is to provide a valve which will remain open until the supply in the tank is exhausted. A. further object is to insure the maintenance of the valve in temporary open position after the tank has been emptied, until a relatively small stream of water thereafter supplied from the float valve will be delivered to the closet to refill the bowl. And a further object of the invention is to provide certain improvements in the construction and arrangements of the parts to render the valve more durable and practicable than hereto fore.

On the accompanying drawing,-

Figure 1 represents in vertical section a low-down tank equipped with a flushing valve embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 represents a vertical section through the valve structure.

Fig. 1 represents the lower portion of the valve structure, and

Fig. 5 represents a vertical section through the same showing the plunger valve raised from its seat.

The valve mechanism comprises a plunger valve which is normally seated to prevent the escape of water from the flushing pipe. This valve operates in a cylinder or casing, with the upper end of which is connected at siphon pipe, the level of water in the up limb being determined by the level of the water in the tank. When the valve is manually raised, the siphonic action is started with the result that the valve is held in raised position, until the siphon breaks. To postpone the breaking, until the body. of water contained in the tank is discharged, I place a water-containing cup on the top of the cylinder, which seals the cylinder for a certain length of time, so that the valve is held up. temporarily after the body of water in the tank is discharged and the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 27, 1920.

Serial No. 37,017.

siphon in the closet is broken, to permit the discharge of sufficient water to refill the closet bowl.

The tank as a whole is indicated at 10, and it is provided with a float valve 11 of any suitable construction. The flushing valve comprises a base structure having an externally threaded tubular portion 12 which serves as the outlet therefor and which is connected with the flushing pipe (not shown) for the bowl. The base is formed with an annular seat 13, and with a laterally projecting neck 14 communicating with the interior of the base below the level ofthe seat, the end of the neck being upturned to receive the vertical overflow pipe 15. Said base has the internal guide arm 16 for the stem of the valve plunger, and also has a bracket 17 Upon the base is supported a cylinder 18, which is somewhat greater in diameter than the valve seat, and in which is located a plunger valve indicated as a whole at 19. The cylinder may be formed with ears 20, 21, 21, through which screws or other fastenings may be passed into the bracket 17 and ears 22 projecting from the sides of the overflow neck 14. The member 19 constitutes a piston to reciprocate in the cylinder in frictional engagement with the wall thereof and also a valve to cooperate with the seat 13, and it is provided with an axially extending stem 23 passing through the arm 16 and through an aperture in the upper end of the cylinder. The upper end of the stem may be bent at a right angle as indicated at 24, and connected by a link 25 with an arm 26 located within the tank and operated by a handle 27 outside the front wall of the tank. Any suitable means for operating the valve may be utilized, though I find it convenient to use the mechanism shown, in which the link 25 is formed of wire with loops at its ends, one to encircle the stem below the bent end 241 and the other to pass through a slot 28 in the arm 26.

An inverted U-shaped tube 29 is connected withthe top of the cylinder. as by screwing it therein. and its. down-limb is placed in the overflow pipe, so that its end is somewhat lower than the plane of the valve when the latter is in raised position. Assuming the level of the water in the tank to be indicated by the dotted line 22, and the cylinder to be full, on raising the valve, water will be forced from the cylinder into the siphon pipe to fill it and cause siphonic action to start. The water in the tank discharges through the opening between the valve and its seat, the valve being held in raised position meanwhile by the pressure of air on the body of water still remaining in the tank. l/Vhen the level of the water has been lowered to a point where the lower end of the down-limb is unsubmerged (assuming no leakage of air past the valve stem), the siphonic action would cease, and the valve thereupon would drop, were it not for the employment of further means to prevent the breaking of the siphon. Hence, I provide upon the top of the casing an upstanding flange or wall 80, which forms a cup or reservoir. The valve stem is somewhat loose in its aperture in the top of the casing, so that the water which is contained in the cup may flow in a very small stream into the cylinder above the valve. Hence, as the level of the water in the tank drops, a pool of water is left in the cup. This seals the upper end of the cylinder against the entrance of air but gradually finds its way into the top of the cylinder and is withdrawn by siphonic action. The flow however is so small that the water in the tank reaches the level of the valve seat, without the siphon being broken; and su'fficient water is thereafter discharged (being of course relatively slowly supplied by 'the' float valve) to refill the bowl after the siphon therein is broken, but, when the cylinder is unsealed by exhaustion of the pool of. water in the cup, the valve is permitted to drop by gravity against its seat.

I have stated that the valve comprises both a valve member and a piston or plunger. To this end it may with convenience consist of a disk 40 of flexible material such as leather impregnated with oil or other waterproof substance, held between disks ll, 42, of which the latter is considerably greater in diameter than the former. A disk washer -13, of leather or like material to engage the valve seat, is held against the disk l2 by a disk 44:. These disks and washers are clamped together by nuts 45 threaded on the stem 23. It will be noted that the disk 40 fits snugly in the cylinder, but not so tightly as to prevent the valve from dropping when the action of the siphon ceases.

By employing a valve of the plunger type, it is possible to get a long stroke and thus move the valve aconsiderable distance from the seat, so as not to afford any obstruction to the free flow otthe water through the dis charge pipe. In my valve mechanism, the parts are simple in construction and inex pensive to manufacture. The base; structure and the cylinder casing may be of cast metahwhereas ordinary tubing may be e'm- Y ployed for the overflow pipe and the siphon.

The disk washers of the plunger valve may be stamped out of thin sheet brass.

Having thusexplainedthe nature of my said invention, and described a way of making and using the same, although without 7 in frictional engagement with the wall 3 thereof and carrying a valve for cooperation with said valve seat, and means for temporarily sealing the cylinder above the piston against theentrance of air when the level of the water in the tank drops, below 8 the lower end ot the cylinder.

2. A flushing valve comprising a base having a valve seat, a cylinder above the valve seat, and having its lower end open,

a piston movable in said cylinder, a valve 9 carried by said pistonfor cooperation with said seat, a siphon having its up-limb communicating with the upper end of said cyl inder, and a reservoir for water communieating with the upper end of the cylinder above the piston, forsupplying water to the cylinder when the water in the tank drops below the level of the top of the cylinder.

3. A flushing valve comprising a base having a valve seat, a cylinder above the valve seat, and having its lower end open, a piston movable in said cylinder, a valve carried by said piston for cooperation with said seat, a siphon having its up-limb communicating with the upper end of said cyl inder, and a cup on the upper end of the casing and communicating with the upper? end of the cylinder.

l. A- fiu'shing valve comprising a base having a valve seat, a cylinder above the valve seat, and having its lower end open, a piston movable in said cylinder, a valve carried by said piston for cooperation with said seat, a siphon having its up-limb communicating with the upper end of said cylinder, a valve. stem projecting through an aperture in the top" of the cylinder for op.- erating. the piston, and a water-containing cup on the cylinder encircling the valve stein. V

5. A flushing valve for water comprising a structure having a chamber above the'va'lve seat, a siphon-communicating. with the upper end of the chamber, a inelnberextending across said cham ber, a valve connected with said member, a valve stem: passing upwardly through said chamber for raising the valve, and a water containing chamber on top of the chamber and communicatingi therewith for supply closet tanks, a valve seat,

ing water thereto after the Water in the tank has been lowered below the top of the said chamber.

6. A flushing valve for Water-closet tanks comprising a structure having a valve seat through which the Water is discharged, and a cylinder thereahove with a space between them for the flow of Water, said cylinder having an open lower end, a manually-operated plunger valve axially movable in the cylinder and normally resting on the said seat, an upright overflow plpe communieating with the valve structure to discharge water below the valve seat, and a siphon having its up-limb communicating with the upper end of the cylinder for exhausting the water from said cylinder and having its down-limb arranged in the overflow pipe, the bend in the siphon being above the upper end of said overflow pipe.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

ALEXANDER A. CARSON. 

